Family Feud
by Gohan SSJ2 Mystic
Summary: Gender Bender fic. Branch is born a girl, her family tries to hide it. Eventual Branch/Creek/Guy threesome. Mature audiences only please. Has some abuse situations and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Summary:

Warning: for the sake of this story, our lovable gray BOY is being turned into a GIRL lol

Branch, born to a 3rd class family and having been born female, is required by law to be offered to a rival families son as an arranged marriage. However, there are 2 rival families to choose from, plus Branch's parents don't want her to be tied to someone she doesn't love. They defy the law and hide Branch, lying to their King and society and try to convince the rest of their people that Branch is male. The deception can only last so long before it all comes crashing down.

Chapter 1: Laws being made

Things were different back in the old days. Citizens of the 3rd class families were put down, shunned, and basically made to look like social outcasts. What made them 3rd class was their lack of money and status. They were the working class, the ones who others used almost like slave labor. They got paid very little and were treated like less than normal people. For the 3rd class Trolls, they had little to look forward to in life. Over a couple generations, one of their Kings decided to change all that.

"Attention all Trolls. I, King Aspen, am making a new decree. As of the last several generations, our lower class citizens have felt they have nothing to live for, so I plan to change all that. Effective immediately, any female children born to a 3rd class family will be promised in an arranged marriage to a 1st class families son. Not only will this benefit the 3rd class families child by giving them a future, but it will benefit the 1st class family as well by giving them a means to produce an heir for their family. If for any reason a female child is born and not given over in an arranged marriage, the family responsible will be held accountable. The parents will be sent to prison for going against the law and the child will be taken and given to the 1st class rival family anyways. This decree will remain in effect till another King or Queen rescinds it. Thank you for your time and attention."

The trolls all look at each other and start talking about the new order. At that time, there was only four 1st class families, the top families being the Diamond family and the Riverwind family. The Riverwind family was known to be a group of spiritual trolls and were favored by many. Their temperaments in public however left a bit to be desired as they acted pompous and rude. The Diamond family was just the opposite in public and were always kind and considerate to everyone.

For 10 generations, the law was kept and the families seemed okay with it. During that time, another King, King Peppy, took over rule of the trolls. He in turn held up the law and made sure that everyone abided by it. As King Peppy gets older, he monitors the family lines and writes them down in a carefully written ledger.

"Alrighty, Diamond family had a boy they named Guy." He writes down the name of Guy Diamond into the ledger and looks at the birth records at the next entry. "Okay, Riverwind family had a boy as well. Creek Riverwind, thats a very fitting name." Writing those names down, he checks over the logs to see who the rival family or families were to those two lines. "Figures, only the Oakley family is rivals to them. I really feel sorry for that family if they have a girl." Secretly, he was hoping that the Oakley's would have a boy so that their child would not have to endure being tied to the Diamond or Riverwind families. "Maybe, just maybe, they'll even be crazy enough to defy the law, have a girl, and try to pretend that girl is a boy." King Peppy laughs at himself. "They would have to be totally out of their minds to try to pull off something like that." He looks over at his wife who was heavy with pod but also quite ill. He was not expecting his wife to survive long after having the baby. He writes down his weird train of thought and tucks the note safely in the back of the ledger, just in case someday the crazy happened to become real.

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chapter 1. Let me know what you think :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Family Lines

Summary:

A look inside the Diamond family line and Riverwind family line

It was no secret to many how looks can be very deceptive. Many of the other 1st class families avoided the Diamond family and the Riverwind family at all costs. For the Diamond family, it was not readily apparent on why. Guy's parents, Rose and Emerald Diamond, were two of the nicest trolls in the village, or so it seemed. They helped out around the village, made clothes and toys for the orphans, helped run errands for those who were either too busy or had injuries that prevented them from doing it themselves. In public they seemed like the perfect, well mannered, sweet, caring couple.

Behind closed doors was a different story. Some of the other trolls, not truly believing what they saw in public often tried to spy on the Diamond family, listening in through open windows but out of visual range. This didn't stop the Diamond family from knowing they were being spied on though and anyone spying found that out the hard way. One troll who had been caught trying to listen in was found with a concussion and multiple bleeding gashes laying outside the medical pod in a very short time frame. When they woke up a week later, they had no memory of what had happened to them or how they got to the medical pod.

The birth of Guy Diamond was celebrated at the same time as the birth of Creek Riverwind. Their families could not stand each other and were long standing rivals of each other as well as rivals to the Oakley family. When the two sets of parents saw each other at the celebration for their children's birth, they had to be kept separated by the other trolls in attendance. In private, Rose and Emerald were teaching Guy how he should act in public, in order to keep up their appearances and to keep people from realizing how they truly were. Behind closed doors, they were arrogant, mean, self-centered, and completely ignorant. They didn't care for anyone and anyone they helped during the day, they would gripe and complain about during the night when alone, calling the other families lazy and overly dependent on others to get things done. The Diamond family felt that if people couldn't do things themselves, then that was their own fault and they needed to get off their lazy butts and quit being so reliant on others.

It was well known by many that Rose Diamond was extremely picky about who she liked and who she didn't like. Her dislike of Creek's family and the Oakley family stemmed from her own childhood when she had been treated badly by both families. She had started off as a 3rd class, being tormented because she had been forced to marry into the Diamond line but soon finding out that they were very similar to herself. Her addition to the family was almost like she had always been part of it. They treated her no different than anyone else in their family, not even treating her like they typically would a 3rd class child. As she grew older, she resented her parents and turned cruel towards all 3rd class families, not caring about the idea she herself came from one. Her dislike of Creek's family came from not just the constant bad treatment but also because she knew that any child of hers would likely have to compete with his family for the hand of any female child of the Oakley's. To say it was a complex rivalry would be an understatement. In honesty, there was no real reason for the rivalry, but in her mind, she felt she had every right to hate them regardless of what others said.

Emerald Diamond was just plain rude. It didn't matter to him if he was in public or not. If someone said something he didn't agree with, he had serious words with the offender. Hoping to get his son to be more like him was proving to not be going in his favor. His wife was already adamant about having Guy pretend to be nice in public, something he didn't feel was going to work in their favor forever. Of course, you know the old saying, the woman is always right. You argue with the woman, you get a frying pan to the face. He found that out the hard way more than once when arguing with his wife. He wasn't overly happy about being smacked with the pan, but his parents found it amusing and applauded Rose for doing it. Needless to say, she fit right in with the family.

The Riverwind family was a bit different. Unlike the Diamond family who was all sweet and nice in public, the Riverwind family acted snooty like they were better than everyone all because they were a spiritual family. Among the 1st class families, they were the ones most looked up to by the colony for spiritual guidance and enlightenment. Being looked up to in that manner gave them a major ego and superiority complex, making them feel that others couldn't do anything without them, that if any of them were gone, the colony would crumble. Rain Riverwind, Creek's mother, was one of the leading females of the colony other than the Queen. She was basically the go-to person by the royal family when in need of spiritual guidance. Her skills consisted of seeing and interpreting aura's, visions of the future which could only see maybe a year ahead, and dreamscapes. Her husband, Sage Riverwind, was able to get visions for many years in the future. He had already predicted the birth of a child for the Oakley family, but his visions were being blocked so he was unable to see the gender of the child. He had already informed Rain that the Oakley child would be born within 2 years. He had a slightly milder temperament than Rain did, but he was cautious, a trait not normally seen in most trolls. He had neglected to tell his wife of a vision that involved himself, visions that normally did not happen unless someone was soon to die.

With the birth of their son Creek, the Riverwind family groaned. They knew right off that if the Oakley's had a daughter, that Creek would have to fight Guy Diamond for the right to claim her as a mate. They knew right away that they would have to train Creek in not just his spiritual abilities, but also in basic fighting techniques. It would be one of the only ways that Creek would be able to prove to his potential mate and to others that he was physically capable to protecting his mate should it become needed. Sage was insistent on teaching his son as much as possible on how to properly treat a lady should he have the opportunity to claim a mate. With his being uncertain on the gender of the future Oakley child, he had no way of knowing how things would turn out. Time was limited and he wanted to do what he could in the time he still had. Rain however, having heard through Sage that the Oakley's would have a child within 2 years, already pre-determined that she was not going to like this child at all, and no matter what happens, she was never going to accept any child of the Oakley line. She kept it secret even from her own husband and fully intended to try to sway Creek to be the same as herself, judgmental and untrusting.

Roughly 2 years passed since the birth's of Guy and Creek and their families taught them as much as possible. Word reached the village that Moss Oakley and Summer Oakley were expecting a pod within a few months. Seeing as how the Oakley family was quite a distance out of the village, unlike others who had to register the birth's of their children, they did not because they didn't live in the village itself. This also afforded them the chance to have the child at home and if needed, hide the gender of the child. Summer was already plotting what she would do. If she had a female child, she would give her a male type name, teach the child how to alter their voice to sound more masculine, and dress them like they would a boy as well to try to maintain the deception. This would all be implemented should she have a female child. She actually, like King Peppy, was hoping for a boy so as to limit their family interaction with the Diamond or Riverwind families. Only time would tell what was to come, but it wasn't going to be very long. Summer's pod was due on Midwinters Day. Such a child was extremely rare, only 2 of which had ever been born on Midwinters Day in the entire history of their colony. She was hoping for a miracle and was not looking forward to what may happen if things did not go according to plan.

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chapter 2 :)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Birth of Branch

Summary:

A look into Branch's birth, her parents' deception, and the beginning years of her life.

Warnings: Abuse situations

It had been several months since it was reported that the Oakley's were going to have a pod. Summer decided before the arrival of her child that she was going to have a discussion with her mate. "Alright Moss. you might not be ready, and I know I'm not ready, but this pod is due any day now. If this child is born male, we'll be in the clear and won't have anything to worry about for quite some time. However, if by some crazy coincidence this child is born female, you and I have our work cut out for us."

"I am quite aware Summer, don't fret so much. I already have plans to teach our child if needed how to alter their voice to sound male, how to dress like a boy, and we have plenty of makeup supplies to alter the appearance of their face to give it a more masculine look. That's all provided the baby is female though. If the child is male, then yes, we'll be in the clear for quite some time. As you well know though, chances of that are slim for us for have a boy. Your family is mostly girls. You have 1 brother and 7 sisters. I'm not much different. I have 2 brothers and 6 sisters myself. Girls run in our family, it's not something that can be avoided."

Summer starts pacing a bit and shaking her head. "That's the part that worries me most. All the females in our family, 90% chance of us having a girl rather than a boy. Of course I'm just speculating on percentage but it's likely close to that. Honestly, I never even wanted this kid. You didn't either. You made it clear right off the start you hated kids. Why we even bothered to become mates is beyond me when neither of us even wanted a child." She grumbles a bit and ignores her mate rolling his eyes at her comments.

"Hmmm gee, let's think here, uhh, maybe because I fell in love with you? That might be a good reason I took you as my mate. Either way though, you're right. Neither of us wanted a kid. I think it mostly had to do with our rivals though. We knew even before becoming mates that if we had a female child, we would eventually have to be tied to either the Diamond of Riverwind families. The idea alone puts a sour taste in my mouth. Those Riverwinds.. ughhh.. bunch of spiritual know it all's as far as I'm concerned. Spouting their mumbo jumbo around and sad part, many others believe what they are told about it."

"Well, in all honesty, they have been right about certain things. Sage Riverwind did predict we would have a child within 2 years. He made that prediction 2 years ago, and here I am, not too far away from having this pod. It does seem kind of strange that they would be accurate if it was just a bunch of nonsense." Summer glances out the window looking at the snow that was covering the landscape outside and the Troll Tree not too far away. "Mid-Winter Day is only 2 days away. If this child is born on that day, it would be considered a miracle child. The colors it has right now would be altered as well to indicate when the child was born."

Moss just nods and shakes his head. "I really am not wanting to be a father, but I guess we don't have too many options."

Two days later, just as the sun peeked above the horizon of Mid-Winter Day, Summer brought her pod into the world. The green and gold colors of the pod shifted and became 3 shades of blue to indicate the date of birth. After the pod was wiped clean and dry, it started to open, revealing a female child with teal blue skin, royal blue hair, and cerulean blue eyes. Seeing that the child was female, Moss and Summer scowl slightly and shake their heads. Moss walks away, not wanting to look at the child any more, mumbling under his breath how the child was a mistake that should never have been conceived. Summer wasn't too happy either, but instead of being a total downer about it, she decided a letter to the King would be in order.

 _"Dear King Peppy, we are sending you this letter to tell you our child has been born. We, the Oakley family, have had a boy child. We are naming him Branch Oakley. We felt it necessary to inform you so you could place the name and gender of the child in the official records. Also, the child was born just this morning on Mid-Winter Day, born a tri-blue of teal, cerulean, and royal blue. We will bring our child when possible to allow others to see him, but seeing as how we live outside of the main village and we often are gone for long durations of time, it could be quite some time before that happens. Regards, Summer Oakley"_

Summer knew that lying to the King would bring severe consequences should they ever be caught, but she was hoping that in the time frame between now and when others got to see Branch, that they would be able to teach their child how to conceal their real gender. She closes up the letter in an envelope, addresses it to King Peppy, and sends it via firefly towards the Troll Tree for delivery.

Roughly 1 year later, the Oakley's still had not allowed anyone from the village to see their child. Branch was already learning how to shift her voice to sound more male and was dressing like a boy even though she wanted badly to be in a cute little flowery dress. Whenever she even looked at dresses though, she wound up getting beat by her father, and not just a disciplinary beating either. He was downright abusive towards Branch, hated her for being a girl, and just hated her in general because he never wanted a child. More often than not, Branch would be covered in bruises in various areas of her body. Even washing hurt, trying to get dressed hurt, and sometimes even walking hurt. Her beatings were severe and the older she got, the worse the beatings got.

When she reached 2 years old, she went outside to play, dressed like a boy as always, only to come face to face with Princess Poppy, the King's daughter. Poppy only had to look Branch over a little and she knew right away that Branch was not a boy, but rather a girl. Branch shakes her head quickly when Poppy mentioned about going to tell her family. "Please don't. If my parents know that you know, not only will they flat out try to lie to your dad, but they will beat me like they never have before, and trust me, they beat me a lot as it is." She glances over her shoulder, seeing her dad at the window watching them. Luckily she had said what she did quiet enough that her dad, even with his excellent hearing, would have been unable to hear what she said.

"Alright fine, I won't tell my dad, but you must promise me that when you're too old to hide it anymore, you will personally tell my dad what is going on. If you need to come see me before that, by all means. I often go down towards the stream nearby to relax. You're welcome to join me down there at any time."

Branch grins and nods. "I will Princess, I promise." She turns when she hears her dad calling her to come inside. "I better go, so I hope to see you around sometime." Branch turns without waiting for an answer and heads back inside the house. Moments after the door shut, what sounded like several loud smacks and thuds occurred followed by silence. Moss Oakley looks out the window at Poppy and smirks slightly at her before shutting the windows to prevent anyone from seeing inside. Poppy, fearing the worst for her new friend, runs back towards the Troll Tree to talk to her dad about it. Within an hour, guards were at the Oakley home to check on Branch, only to have the door slammed in their faces after being rudely told that what happened in their home was nobody else's business.

It was roughly 2 weeks later when Poppy got to see Branch again, this time being in not a good way. Branch had gone gray and colorless, the only color left in her was her cerulean blue eyes. Branch takes one look at Poppy and then runs away, heading deep into the woods, not to be seen again for a couple years by anyone, not even her own parents. What nobody knew was that Branch was digging deep into the ground creating a bunker deep underground. It would be safe from Bergens, from Tokami; the forest cats that lived close by that ate trolls as snacks, and her parents. She wanted nobody to be aware of where the bunker was. It took the better part of 3 years before anyone saw her again. Upon her arrival back home again, her parents beat her almost to the brink of death, putting her in her room and locking her inside with little food or water, only what was needed to keep her alive. The beating they had given her had broken 2 ribs, her left arm, and cracked her pelvis. She would be unable to even so much as stand for any duration for at least a month or more. Secretly, she sent a note to Poppy via a blue firefly pet she had gained in the woods.

 _"Poppy, sorry to have run away on you so long ago. My parents beat me so bad, admitted they never wanted me, said I was a mistake, said I should never have been born. I lost my color because of them. I have spent the last 3 years creating an underground bunker out in the forest. Unfortunately, upon my arrival back home, I was beat again severely. I have 2 broken ribs, my left arm is broken, and it feels like my tail-bone is cracked. I am sending this message to you in secret and I hope it stays a secret from my parents. They would likely kill me if they knew I was sending you this. Please inform your father of my condition and what my parents have done to me. I have not forgotten my promise to you and I will keep it when the time is right. Until then, stay safe for me Poppy. I miss you my friend. Truly, Branch"_

She attaches the note to a ribbon and ties that to her firefly and whispers to it to take the letter to Poppy. It buzzes out the tiny window the room had and straight to the Troll Tree to deliver the message. Upon reading it, Poppy shows the letter to her father. They knew if they acted right now, Branch's life would be on the line, so they decided it was in Branch's best interest if they waited, at least till Branch was strong enough to escape from Moss and Summer. King Peppy, still unaware that Branch was female, wasn't sure what to do. Creek and Guy had recently turned 7 years old and like expected, were curious about the child of the Oakley family. The entire village had been told that Branch was male, but since nobody had seen Branch yet, they could not verify anything. It was only a matter of time before that all changed.

...

Poor Branch, hated to do it, but for the plot of the story, it had to be done.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Running from the Bergens

Summary:

Branch manages to heal just in time to escape a Bergen attack. Chaos ensues as random trolls are taken in the attack.

It took 2 months for Branch to finish healing. She was bed ridden all the way up till that point, secretly sending messages to Poppy during that time frame keeping her informed on progress. Any replies she got back she made sure to keep hidden in her bed so her parents wouldn't find them. They suspected something was going on but they couldn't prove anything. They had never seen Branch's firefly so they considered it a fluke that guards from the Troll Tree had been patrolling the region the last couple months, even coming into visual range of their pod. Moss was not happy about the situation, thinking the Princess was sending them to snoop around and even going as far as to try to chase the guards away from their pod on several occasions. He comes inside the pod after one such instance and grumbles.

"Those guards are getting closer to us every day. I can't prove anything, but I swear that they suspect something here. They have never come this close to our pod at any other time so why now?" He growls low in his throat when Branch limps her way into the room to get some water. He narrows his eyes at the girl, knowing that it was likely her fault. With her being 5 years old now, she was more likely to be rebellious than she had been previously. "This better not be your doing Branch. If I find out they are coming around here because of you, there is going to be a funeral and it won't be mine or your mother's." He storms out of the room after saying that, giving Branch a distasteful look in passing. Branch flinches away, trying to make sure to stay out of arm's reach as he storms past her. Her growing fear of her dad was becoming more and more obvious. She so wanted to run, to just leave and never return. She wasn't even sure why she had returned to begin with. She knew the first time around that doing so would result in her being severely beaten, just for it to be proven correct when she returned. She made a promise to herself that if she managed to get away again, she was planning to never return to her families home. Having planned that out weeks ago, she even went so far as to send Poppy a letter telling her of those plans, asking the Princess to say nothing about the move to anyone. She didn't want to risk being caught again, knowing next time, she might not be as lucky to make it out alive.

It was another 2 weeks before she had a chance to make her escape. Several Tokami and a couple Bergens had been spotted in the local area. They had been scouting the area for the last couple days according to reports. Every time they approached the Troll Tree, the trolls scrambled into the higher level branches where even the Bergen's couldn't reach. Things were a little different this time though. Moss had gone into the village to get a couple supplies and came face to face with Sage Riverwind. They gave each other distasteful looks before turning to see a Bergen heading right for them. Unfortunately for them, they didn't have time to escape. The Bergen snatched up both of them in the panic that followed the beginning of the attack. Branch, having been at the edge of town, witnessed her father and Sage Riverwind get snatched along with several other trolls. Emerald Diamond, in the process of trying to escape, gets too close to one of the attacked areas and gets grabbed by one of the Tokami and ripped apart. Rose Diamond, while trying to protect Guy, got clawed badly by one of the Tokami across the leg but still managed to get away with her son.

Guy, seeing an open chance and noticing Branch running towards the woods, quickly escapes his mother and follows close behind Branch. Creek wasn't too far behind him, also having seen Branch. They wanted a chance to meet the Oakley child, even if it was just for a few moments. Summer, having seen the kids following Branch, tried to do what she could to follow but was blocked by 2 of the Tokami. One of them tackles her to the ground and rips into her right arm, effectively ripping the muscles apart and rendering her arm useless. With it being her primary arm, she would have to learn how to compensate for not being able to use it anymore. She pretends to be dead in hopes the Tokami would go and leave her alone. Smelling the blood and seeming to be satisfied with what they had done, the Tokami eventually wander off to rejoin the Bergen's in the hunt for the other trolls.

Creek, having just lost his own father, was in part feeling sympathetic towards Branch, knowing at this time what it was like to lose a family member. When him and Guy get close enough, they manage to get in front of Branch, stopping her in her tracks. The two boys look her over but couldn't identify the female attributes because of Branch now being gray. Guy, choosing to be the way his mother insisted in public, introduces himself to Branch and questions where she was going in such a hurry. Branch just shakes her head at him. "Sorry, I just need to get to my bunker where it's safer. At least from there, I don't have to worry about being food for the Bergens or those Tokami." She made sure while speaking to shift her voice in such a way as to sound more like a boy. She glances over at Creek a moment and rolls her eyes when he stands there with an all high and mighty, snooty type look. She had learned though over the last couple years not to take first impressions too seriously. She already knew how the eyes could reveal personality traits that would otherwise be hidden. She takes a close look at Guy and shivers slightly at what she could see, the look of someone who wasn't nice at all, but only pretended to be to cause others to fall into a false sense of security. Glancing over at Creek, she locks eyes with him and notices the kindness and regret deep in his eyes, regret at how he was having to act in public when his mind was screaming at him not to do it. His outward personality though made it difficult to make a decision on him right away. Her rational side said to give it time and maybe eventually she would gain the answers she seeked.

She quickly excuses herself and runs towards the bunker, making sure that Guy and Creek didn't follow her. Upon glancing back, she noticed Poppy having a talk with them, but was too worried about being caught to ask what it was about. She had seen her own mother get mauled by the Tokami, but seeing as how her parents despised her, she figured if her mother died, then it would be less for her to worry about later. However, if her mother lived, she would have to risk getting into a confrontation with her should she ever meet her again. She grabs several items hidden in some bushes on her way to the bunker and tosses them inside when she arrives. She needed to make sure she had enough supplies to last her until she felt it safe enough to come out again and forage for more. That would likely take quite some time though. As it was, she had enough stored down in the bunker to last her a year without having to come above ground for anything. She had even made a small breather shaft to allow air down inside the bunker along with a tunnel for her firefly to go in and out to deliver messages. She pulls a paper from her hair and writes a message from her hair and attaches it to her firefly to give to Poppy, likely the last one for a while till things settled down again.

The firefly darts towards Poppy who at that time was on her way back towards the Troll Tree. The Bergens and Tokami had left a few minutes prior along with 15 new acquisitions from the colony. When Poppy gets the letter, she looks around then opens it up and reads it out loud to herself. "Poppy, I saw my father get taken by the Bergen's and I am uncertain if my mother is dead or alive but I have gone back to the bunker. More than likely, I will not be around for a long time. I will remember to eventually keep the promise I made to you, but for right now, I feel it safer for me to stay hidden. I met Guy and Creek in passing and I must admit, they have very confusing personalities. One is kind outright, but his eyes show deception and hate. The other is arrogant and crude, but his eyes show deep regret and kindness, a kindness which I am fairly certain his family does not want anyone else seeing. They did not appear to realize that I am a girl, or at least I hope not. It's only a matter of time though before I will be unable to hide it, at which time I will find a way to send a message to you and set up a one on one meeting with your father. My mother, if she is still alive, I am fairly certain will do everything she can to deny her part in the deception. It was her idea for me to do this, her and dad. With my dad now on his way to becoming Bergen food, I see it as a fitting punishment for all the years of abuse he has put me through so far in my life. Luckily, I will no longer have to endure such treatment from him. I am gray because of him and mom's actions and words to me, saying they never wanted me and never loved me. I am hoping that someday, I will regain my colors and be able to live a happy life. Unfortunately, I do have to ask a favor of you, a favor to ask your father of the chances of moving our colony. During the 3 years I was gone, I did some traveling and found a place many miles away that would be safe, a place deep in the mountains. I will explain more later if it becomes necessary. Until then, stay safe my friend. I hope someday to see you again. Regards, Branch."

Poppy looks around and sighs, knowing how much she was right about their situation. It was only a matter of time, now that the Bergen's knew where they were, that they would have no choice but to move. She quickly tucks the letter into her hair to hide it and finishes making her way back into the village, seeking out her father to give him some of the information from the letter, nothing that revealed Branch's gender though. King Peppy agrees to the idea of a move but knows such a move would take a long time to organize and as such, tells Poppy they would have to wait a while until they got everything in order. Unfortunately, that could take several years or more. Scouts would have to be sent out to investigate the region Branch had mentioned, families with small children would have to be given time to raise their kids at least enough where the kids could walk long distances on their own. It would be at least 10 years before any of this would see a final result, those 10 years of which Branch was planning to remain hidden in her bunker, continuing to send messages to Poppy and every so often, seeing her out in the woods secretly to keep in contact. It was almost time for plans to be made.

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chapter 4 :) I hope you like it :)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Time Has Come

Chapter Text

 _It's been 10 years since the attack. Ten years since I managed to escape the hell that had been my life. The Bergen's had finally found us, allied themselves with the Tokami, and raided the village in an all out assault that nobody saw coming. Many lives were lost that day, including my own father. For some, that would be a massive loss. For me, it was a blessing in disguise. My parents were very abusive, even forcing me to go along with a deception that could cost us our lives, a deception that technically I no longer had to keep._

 _According to Troll Law, once a troll was away from their family and dependent only on themselves for more than 5 years, they were considered free and independent, not having to return to their family home unless they chose to. I have been away from home now for ten years, so technically according to law, I am free and allowed to make my own decisions. I need to tell the King soon. He needs to know about my mother's deception and my real gender. It's becoming harder with each passing day to hide it. I know there will be punishment, but how severe it will be, I won't know till I tell him._

Branch glances up from her journal entry and lets out a heavy sigh. "This is not going to go over well at all." She gets up and walks over to the nearby full-length mirror and shakes her head, very easily able to see the female attributes that she had spent the last 15 years trying to hide. Her voice at one time, she didn't have an issue shifting it down to sound more male, but now that she was older, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the feminine tone out of her voice. The only one who knew other than her mom, was her dear friend Poppy, the daughter of the King. She knew Poppy would be in a heap of trouble as well, knowing about her and yet telling nobody, not even her own father. She had to tell him though. It was time.

Picking up a new sheet of paper, she begins writing a letter to her friend, something short but to the point. _"Poppy, it's been 10 years since I managed to make my escape as you well know. The attributes I could easily hide before, well, I can't hide them anymore. It's time I kept my promise to you. Please arrange a meeting for me with your father, somewhere that nobody else will see or hear us. I need to do this before my mother tries to interfere like I know she will given half a chance." Your Friend, Branch_

She quickly folds the letter and wraps some ribbon around it before affixing it to her firefly for delivery. The firefly waits till the letter was secure before zipping off towards the village. Now for Branch, it was just a matter of waiting for a reply to her message. As she waited for any reply from Poppy, she couldn't help but wonder how things would be from here on out. She could easily guess that part of the punishment would require an extended amount of alone time with each Creek and Guy. In certain regards she was looking forward to it, but in others, not so much. She could easily remember the looks of their eyes, the deceit and malice in one and the regret and kindness in the other. Something in her mind told her though that things were not going to go smoothly, that there would be more problems before everything settled down to the way it should be.

Branch decided while she waited, to put on something a little more concealing, just in case someone showed up while she was having her talk with the King. She didn't want to leave anything to chance at this point, preferring to be prepared than to go in blind. It was close to an hour later before Branch got a reply, but not the kind she was expecting. Someone was actually knocking at the door of the bunker. Branch knew it had to be Poppy since she was the only other troll that Branch had given its location to. She peeks out though just to be sure and gasps in shock to see Poppy there with her father. The meeting was overdue, so without much hesitation, Branch opened up the hatch to let them come inside. A look from the King confirmed he had suspicions about what this meeting was about and it confirmed to Branch that there would indeed be hell to pay after all was said and done.

Once the King and Poppy were both down inside the bunker, Branch closes up the door and locks it so that nobody else, even if they found the door, would be able to get in. She takes the King and Poppy down to the lower level and glances nervously at the King, knowing that it was time. "I really hope I didn't interrupt anything important sir. I just really needed to speak with you about a very important matter."

King Peppy glances around at the bunker a moment, awestruck by the amount of work put into the place before turning and looking at Branch. "I kinda figured this day would come eventually. You have grown up quite well, but it seems you are struggling with something. It's obvious you're nervous as well, so that would mean it's something that you fear would upset me greatly."

Branch nods a moment. "Yes sir. I'm gonna be blunt and to the point sir." She looks at him as he nods and then drops the male tone of her voice to allow her real voice to be heard. "You have been lied to for 15 years. I was forced to go along with it until I was marked as independent of my parents. Seeing as how I have been raising myself here in the bunker for 10 years without their help, then technically they have no control over what I say or who I say it to, not even to you."

King Peppy was in shock hearing the female tone but nods, having half expected this to be what was being hidden from him. Once glance at his nervous daughter proved to him that she had known about it all along and had kept it secret as well. "I did partly expect this. Even before you were born, I had a feeling that it might happen. I wrote it down and kept it with the birth records stating my hunch that if your parents wanted to be devious, then lying about your gender would be the way to do it. Deceitful yes, worthy of punishment yes, possible banishment yes.. but only for them. For you on the other hand, a punishment that you likely already have expected in your own mind. You would be required to spend 2 weeks with each Guy Diamond and Creek Riverwind. If for any reason, things do not work out with either of them, you will be sent to the other to see how things go with them. At the end of your time alone with them, you will be expected to make a choice on who you want to be with in the future as your mate. I realize you are only 15 so that gives you 3 years before you have to worry about being mated to either of them. There will be rules that they must follow as well. Those rules will be given to them when we all are together so there is no misunderstanding. You will be expected to be at the village at first light tomorrow morning to meet with Creek and Guy. Do I make myself clear?"

Branch gulps slightly having expected this to be the case. "Yes your majesty. I did kinda expect that to be the punishment and in all honesty, I am looking forward to getting to know them. However, I did meet them 10 years ago prior to coming down here to the bunker. I got serious bad vibes from Guy Diamond. He may have been nice outwardly but his eyes showed deceit and malice. Creek on the other hand.. his eyes showed kindness. I'm fairly certain on how things will go with them, but of course, I'm only going by first impressions."

King Peppy chuckles and nods. "Well, you're spot on with how they are. Many don't know their personalities behind closed doors but a few of us do. All I can say is be on guard when around these boys. Things will likely not go very well for you at first. I will have 2 of my guards with you at all times when you are near them just to make sure you are kept safe. Prepare yourself for a month of hell, Branch."

King Peppy excuses himself after that and prepares to head topside again. Poppy gives Branch a quick hug before joining her father on the lift. Branch joins them as well and takes them back up to the surface. "I guess I'll see you both at the edge of town tomorrow morning. Have a good night." Branch waves bye to both of them as they head back towards the village and for the first time in a very long time, she felt very afraid of what was to come.

...

Next! :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Revelations

Branch was up and dressed well before dawn the next morning. She recalled that the King wanted her at the edge of town at first light, which was still over an hour away. She grabs an outfit she had made herself, a form fitting dress that hugged every part of her body, showing off the well defined female attributes. Unfortunately, she had to fix the top of the dress a couple times recently as she had become a bit more top heavy than she expected. She could pretty much guarantee she was going to turn heads and not just the ones at the top part of the body either. She smirks all naughty like when that thought came up and she shakes her head. "Get a hold of yourself girl. You're too young for thoughts like that.. for now." She really needed to get a grip on her hormones. Typically hormones didn't start kicking in for females till at least 16 or 17 years old. For her, they were starting early. She wasn't sure if it was because of her special status as a mid-winter child or if it was just the idea behind it of finding her potential mate within the next month. Either way, she was still not allowed to mate until she turns 18. With a deep sigh, she puts on a large coat over top of the dress to conceal everything and makes her way towards the surface to begin the walk towards the village.

Making her way to the edge of town, she keeps a cautious eye on her surroundings. At this time of morning, lots of Deadly Nits; the large mosquito like fliers of the valley, Tokami, and various other creatures roamed freely, looking for an easy early morning snack. She peeks around, noticing from a distance that King Peppy was already talking with Guy Diamond and Creek and leading them towards the edge of town for the meeting. They were both rather curious what this was all about, having been under the assumption from 10 years ago that Branch was male and therefore not able to be claimed as a mate. Upon reaching where Branch was standing, they both look over at her and give her curious looks on what was going on.

King Peppy gives them all looks and breaths out a heavy breath. "Things are about to get quite awkward for all of you. I was informed yesterday by Branch that there has been a deception going on for the last 15 years, a deception that crazy enough even my own daughter knew about but told me nothing about." He glances at Branch seeing the nervous look and then at Creek and Guy seeing the totally perplexed looks on their faces. "You boys will have some rules to follow, but before we get to that, you must know about the deception that I learned of yesterday. Branch here is not male.. but female. Her parents forced her to hide her real gender, apparently because her family didn't want to tied to either of yours. In part, I can understand why, but in other regards not so much. Because of her part in the deception though, Branch is required to spend some alone time with each of you boys, 2 weeks of alone time for each of you."

Creek and Guy exchange shocked looks for a moment before glancing over at Branch and trying to see what the King had just told them. Their eyes grow really wide and their jaws drop when Branch takes the coat off showing them what they needed to see for themselves. Even the King had to do a double take before turning away, bright red in the face just like Creek and Guy were. Guy just looks Branch up and down, clearly enjoying what he was seeing. Creek though was so red in the face, he was trying to not look at any location other than Branch's face which was just as red as his own, the only hint of color outside of her gray skin, a color which Creek hated seeing. He really wanted to change that, to make Branch happy enough that her colors would come back. Seeing her gray made his heart ache in such a way that it literally felt like it was breaking. He was already thinking up ways in his head to try to make her feel loved enough to gain her colors back. Guy, he was debating mentally on how he was going to approach the situation. If he acted in any way other than what he did in public or behind closed doors, his mother would likely either try to kill him or just disown him. To keep her happy, he had to act how she wanted him to act. If he didn't claim Branch as a mate, he could guarantee things would not go well with his mother.

King Peppy gets himself under control again and clears his throat. "Okay, now for the rules you all must follow. I am saying this here and now so there is no misunderstanding. Branch, you must spend 2 weeks with each of them. If for any reason things don't work out and you have to end that alone time early, you must notify me of why and we will plan accordingly. Creek and Guy, you both need to prove yourselves. I am one of the few that knows how both of you are behind closed doors, plus I know that your mothers are partly to blame for how you act, especially yours Guy. I know deep down, you are really sweet and kind, but for some reason, your mother doesn't want people to know this. She wants people to believe that you're mean behind closed doors. I know you Guy, I have seen how you really are from the time you could walk and talk. I know how your mother is, the same with Creek's mother. You boys have been put through hell in your life, but just to warn you, your lives have been easy compared to what Branch has been through. If you try to hurt her in any way, you will answer to me. You must show her your hearts and your true intentions. She will have to choose between you when its all over. If your mothers get in the way of your alone time, we will figure out something else, some other way of you all getting to know each other. One last thing, you will NOT attempt to forcefully mate with her. Attempting to do so will forfeit any claims you might have over her. I don't care if your parents tell you to do it. If you do, she will be removed from your home immediately and taken somewhere safe away from you. There will be severe punishment for any transgressions of that kind."

He shifts position a moment trying to think of how to do this. "Branch, you will begin your 2 weeks today with Guy Diamond. If for any reason things don't work out, let me know and we'll figure out something else." He peeks over at Guy seeing a small smile on his face. "As for you Guy, try to not let your mother interfere and prove to Branch you are the ideal choice. Your time begins now. Branch will be allowed to return to her own home each night, but during the day must spend it with you unless something comes up. Don't disappoint me and be warned, I will be watching. Branch will also have 2 guards assigned to her during her time with each of you boys, so make your parents aware of this as well. " He heads back towards the village, leaving Branch alone with Guy and Creek, the three of them looking between each other wondering how things were going to go.

Branch shifts position a bit and slides the coat back on but doesn't bother to secure it. "Well, I guess it's me and you, Guy. I really hope things go well, but in case they don't, just know that I won't hold a grudge, at least not forever anyways." She glances to see the slightly disheartened look on Guy's face hearing that but then he straightens up and offers her his arm. He takes her towards the village and his home, walking past Creek in the process. Creek wasn't overly pleased by the idea Guy got to go first, but he already suspected that things wouldn't last long for him. His attitude behind closed doors and his mother would ensure that. He knew Guy was a good person deep down, but Guy's mother had a way of making Guy do things he didn't really want to do, including being a mean, rude, arrogant little snot behind closed doors. He feared for Branch's safety at this point, especially from Rose Diamond. Rose was known to be hostile, sometimes even going so far as to inflict bodily harm and then blame it on an accident. Creek was really hoping that Rose would keep her temper in check, at least while Branch was there.

The guards join up with Branch and Guy as they make their way to the pod in which Guy lived. Rose Diamond, seeing the guards, moves away from the window and opens the door for her son and Branch. Seeing the guards joining Branch inside the pod, she holds her tongue for the time being, not liking the idea of royal guards basically invading her home and ruining whatever plans she had. She pulls Guy to the side for a moment to have a word with him and takes him into a soundproof room. "You listen to me Guy and you listen good. You do what you're told and you make sure she becomes your mate, even if it means having your way with her against her wishes. Normally I wouldn't say something like that, but I don't want those Riverwind's getting their hands on that girl at all. You do what you need to do, or you won't like the end result." Guy holds in the shocked and pained look, knowing his mother meant either disowning him or trying to kill him if he didn't get it done. Instead he just nods and glances at the closed door, knowing things likely would not end well. "Fine, but it might not work with those guards here." He flinches a bit when his mother slaps him across the face rather hard. "I don't care. Get it done." She opens the door again and nudges Guy out of the room and towards Branch.

Branch takes a look at Guy when he comes back towards her, seeing clearly the slap mark across his face and knowing what likely happened in that room. She could easily see the pain and doubt in Guy's eyes, the insecure look that said he really didn't want to do this but had no choice. Looking up at the smug face of Rose, she shakes her head slightly knowing exactly what she had just done. Guy leads her upstairs and into his room, shutting the door securely behind them. Guy takes one look at Branch and immediately breaks down, not liking this situation at all. "My mother expects me to force you into something you don't want. I can't do this. If my mother knew how much alike me and Creek are personality wise, she would rip my head off.. literally. Thankfully my room is soundproof just like that room downstairs, but she has camera's all over. This is not going to end well Branch. You must leave here before it's too late." He jumps a bit when a loud pounding knock sounded at his door. Peeking out carefully, he gets sent sliding across the floor, smacking his head into the bedpost at the bottom of the bed, a large hand imprint clearly across the side of his face where he had been struck by his mother. Rose strides in, grabs Branch roughly by the neck and slams her against the wall. "His room door may be soundproof, but I put a speaker in here so I could hear everything. You little lady will be his mate even if you don't want to be."

The guards quickly run in hearing the confrontation and pull Branch away from Rose, shielding the girl from any further harm. They give Rose a stern look and take note of Guy laying on the floor out cold and clearly injured. They leave the pod with Branch and quickly make their way towards King Peppy who was discussing some things with Creek. Creek, seeing the issue and red mark across Branch's throat, quickly pulls her into a hug and runs a comforting hand over her cheek and around her shoulder. "It'll be alright. Just tell us what happened."

Branch quickly tells them of what Rose had done to Guy and what Guy had tried to warn her about. With no further evidence needed, the guards make their way back to the Diamond pod to retrieve Guy, only to emerge several minutes later with him covered in blood and bruises, clearly having been beaten to within an inch of his life by his mother. Creek, seeing the state in which Guy was, pulls Branch to him and shields her so she wouldn't have to see how bad it was. He could feel her shaking, knowing that could have been her. He decides right then, he would do whatever it takes to protect Branch, even if it meant his own life being at risk.

...

Debated on having the battle be between Creek and Guy.. but figured this would be the better option. proves to everyone in town who the truly mean person is...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Alone time with Creek

It was a couple hours before Branch and Creek heard anything about Guy's condition, but when they did find out, it wasn't anything good. "Sorry to say, Guy's mother really did some major damage. She caused a massive concussion and internal bleeding. Apparently she didn't just beat him, but also sliced him in several areas. Luckily, she didn't slice him in seriously vital areas or in personal regions, but with the extent of his injuries, he'll be lucky to survive regardless. It's like she knew exactly where to slice him so he suffered before death."

Branch and Creek share a concerned look and look at the doctor who didn't seem to think Guy would live. Branch shakes her head not believing it. "Guy is strong, I know he is. I can see it in his eyes every time I look. He'll survive and prove you wrong." She was adamant about her opinion which surprised the doctor greatly. "I hope you're right, Branch. I really do hope you're right, for Guy's sake. He's going to need all the strength he has to make it through the first 48 hours. If he can make it through that time, he might just have a chance at survival."

Branch heads out of the medical pod, not wanting to see Guy in that state, but silently praying that Guy would be okay. She is followed quickly by Creek who was feeling the same way. Creek decided now was as good a time as any to spend some alone time with Branch since Guy was injured and unable to do so. He takes a walk with her back towards her bunker since it was starting to get close to mid-day. Branch was getting hungry and decided heading home to eat was in order. She takes Creek with her and allows him inside the bunker with her. Looking around, Creek was amazed at the work that went into creating the bunker. "You are quite the crafty type troll, Branch. This is amazing work you have done down here." He sniffs the air a moment noticing the delectable aroma of whatever it was that Branch was cooking at that moment. "No idea what you're making in there, but it smells absolutely amazing."

Creek peeks into the kitchen and notices the size of it plus the assortment of food items to use for various things. He was actually getting quite envious seeing the assortment in there. "You are going to make me jealous here. Your kitchen puts my own homes kitchen to shame." He turns hearing Branch giggle at his comments and notices how she seemed to just be focusing on her work. He couldn't help but admire how the soft golden glow from the kitchen light reflected off Branch's skin and hair and made her seem utterly ethereal, like an angel. The grayness of her skin seemed inconsequential at this time, replaced by an image of utter beauty with the right lighting. He looks from her skin to her nearly black hair, marveling at how sleek it appeared, making him curious if it was just as soft to the touch as it appeared to be. He was so lost in his observations, he didn't realize he was staring and didn't see the hand waving in front of his face until a light boop on his nose drew his attention and startled him enough to back up a step. "Oh my, I am so sorry. I totally... didn't mean to stare. This lighting.. you.. well.. " He lets out a groan as the words escaped him and he just stuttered a bit like a lovesick idiot. Branch snickers slightly, finding the whole situation rather amusing, despite the circumstances surrounding them at the time.

"If you want to take a seat over there at the table, I can set up a plate for you." Branch motions to the table and chairs nearby when she mentions that. "I just hope you aren't allergic to anything. That's one thing I'll likely have to learn about you and Guy, is your taste preferences and any allergies you might have." Creek takes a seat nearby and shakes his head. "Last I checked, I don't have any allergies but thank you for your concern on that. I don't think Guy has any allergies either, at least not to food. I think he gets a minor skin irritation to aloe though, which is kinda strange. He told me last time he used it, he had a rash that lasted a week." Branch nods and makes a mental note of that. "Good to know. I'll try to remember that, just in case everything turns out okay for him."

After they finished eating, they decided to wash and put away the dishes together. Even though the touches weren't intentional, their hands every so often brushed against each other while exchanging the plates to be cleaned or dried. Both of them were trying to not say anything about the contact, but Creek was resisting the urge to just pull Branch into a firm hug. Looking over at her, his eyes lock with hers, causing a major blush to rise in his cheeks. He had to almost do a double take as he caught a glimpse of the cerulean blue eyes that were mostly hidden by the grayness of her skin. "You are just so beautiful, Branch. I will do everything in my power to make sure you know that every day and to ensure you are never hurt again. I just wish I had a way right now of proving that to you."

Branch looks up at him in surprise and unshed tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. "You already have, Creek. I never really had anyone call me beautiful before. The only comments I ever got were bad ones, calling me hideous because of my gray skin and black hair. They don't understand, it was because of what my parents did to me and said to me as a child that made me this way. It's going to take a lot to regain my colors but I really hope we can get through things together."

Creek nods to her and smiles. "Of course we can, together we shall get through this. I wouldn't mind just laying near you though, maybe give you some comfort. Maybe you'd even let me have the honor of playing with that gorgeous hair of yours." He blushes mentioning that, knowing how intimate an act hair touching was. He notices the bright blush on Branch's face as well but grins widely when Branch actually agrees to it. "I suppose I can let you do that much. I just can't do anything else, like mating. I have 3 years before I'm allowed to do that." She pulls him towards the couch which folded out into a small bed and lays down on it, allowing him to curl up beside her. He curls an arm around her shoulders and gently runs his hands through her hair, totally entranced by the softness of her hair and just wishing this time would never end. They fall asleep to the sounds of rain starting outside of the bunker and pinging off the firefly entry tunnel, with Creek's arm around Branch and her arm around his waist and her head on his chest, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

...

boop... yay :)


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